Read
the statement below...
We
note the statement issued by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr. David
Babachir Lawal that the Senate is not the one on trial in the Forgery case
instituted by the Attorney General of the Federation against the Senate
President and his Deputy.
We
disagree with him on this position and we maintain our earlier stand that it is
the Senate that is the target of the present attempt to intimidate the
legislature to force a leadership change in the Senate.
Mr.
Babachir Lawal should tell us how reasonable it is to conclude that when the
President of Nigeria and the Vice President are being jointly tried in a suit
whose outcome can remove them from office, it is not the Buhari Government that
is being targeted. It is also imperative to clearly state that contrary to the
claim by the SGF, neither the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki nor
Senator Ike Ekweremadu were mentioned by the petitioners, the statements by
those interviewed by the police or even the police report.
Meanwhile,
let us refreshen Mr. Lawal's memory about the facts of the 1999 case. It is
obvious that the Senate President and his deputy are not being accused of
certificate forgery as it happened in ex-Speaker Salisu Buhari's case.
Therefore, nobody should compare an apple with orange. Also, neither Saraki nor
Ekweremadu is below the age requirement for their present position as it was
alleged in the Buhari case. Attempts to make the two situations look similar is
to present all Nigerians as having no sense of history.
We
also know that nobody can be accused of forging his own signature. The
executive is in no position to determine what is the correct Standing Orders of
the Senate. The Senate President and his Deputy were as at the morning of the
June 9, 2015 inauguration of the Senate mere Senators-elect and could therefore
not have been in a position to influence any alteration in the rule book.
The
Senate as an institution, and indeed the National Assembly, has spoken about
their understanding of the present assault on their independence by the
executive'. We maintain that this trial is a design by the Executive to
criminalize the internal affairs of the Senate to create a distraction for the
leadership of the Senate, force a leadership change and cow the legislators.
Those
behind this plot find this trial more expedient and important than finding
tangible solutions to the multi-various socio-economic problems bedeviling the
country. However, we are sure they will fail in this attempt. We only hope they
will allow the judiciary to truly and creditably perform its duties and give
independent verdict on the case.
Signed
Senator
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
Chairman,
Senate Committee on Media and Publicity
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